Update on OnePass 2005
 

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

FYI -

I have this information from a VERY GOOD friend at the OPSC.

Beginning January 1, 2005, OP members will NOT receive 100% credit for cheap fares booked on line. This does NOT come as a shock to mmost of us, but I wanted to let you know that I got the confirmation on it.

Bummer.

While I will await "official" notification of this from our friends at CO, I am busy looking up that number for United status matching....

:mad:

Why not post the info in this thread for those of us too lazy to look it up ourselves :D My only problems with switching to UA are that they'll only give you one E+ companion seat and that they no longer fly EWR->LHR.

Does your friend know when this will publicly be announced (or buried on the site)? This would be particularly helpful in determining where the balance of my travel for the year goes.

What do they have? Sixty days?

Technically they don't have to announce anything. The 100% online EQM was a temporary promo anyway (valid thru 12/31/04).

Ah, 'tis true - I forgot.

Interestingly enough I did not receive my 100% EQMs for at least one on my flights over the weekend. It was a W fare that was purchased through COol.

Coincidence I am sure, but stilll.... :mad:

That has happened with me as well. It seems to happen when PNRs are split (for elite upgrade purposes, or the like). The individual that keeps the original PNR gets properly credited for EQMs, and the person assigned the new record does not automatically get noticed as a CO.com purchase. All it takes is a phone call to remedy the situation, but this is something that the software or design should pick up.

Let the exodus begin.... Maybe I'll get upgraded on my EWR - CLE route now!!! I'm still locked in as I want a direct flight every week. (I can also book a 100% qualifying fare as they aren't that much more expensive)

Well, you shouldn't be buying multiple tickets on one PNR at CO.com. You should put each person on a different PNR to maximize bonus miles! :D :D :D You can call CO and have them linked so the non-elite pax can sit in the EA section with you...

Status Match Thread:


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9558

Boy am I glad I moved to AA last year !!!!!
 

This just makes me all that much happier that I bailed when I did (Dec 2003) and never looked back. I was rolling the dice thinking that this would happen and it "appears" that it did.. Now you know dang well that CO will not post anything or if they do it will buried somewhere in the other garbage that they have. Most likely though, they won't say a thing.. just to twist the knife and get as many of those as they can to book unwittingly thinking they will get full EQMs for next year..

Someone will be lucky though, whoever remains on CO as an elite will definitely have a better chance at an upgrade.. although.. it will still be tough to upgrade on an airline that seems like its trying to go all RJ all the time

Did your friend off any other hints at further shockers to come? I won't do anything until there is an official announcement, but I am torn here....

do I enjoy the Plat status I have earned in 04 for all of 05 and ignore EQMs next year knowing I will just jump ship to do an AA challenge in the fall of 05, or, given my intense dislike for CO's nitwit, poorly thought out decisions (and possibly more bad news to come), do I just leave them now because I dont want to give them any money next year.

Probably I would enjoy using my Plat status for another year on the cheapest possible tickets to thumb my nose at their hair-brained decision more than scrambling for a new relationship.

Just before everyone really gets worked up into a huge tizzy, we have a newly invented Delta just around the corner and NW's continued ignorance of EQMs as potential competitive pitfalls for CO next year....not to mention the United PS service sucking up many of the high-yield trans-con customers.

I can't imagine their kool-aid is spiked with enough Ecstacy to make them think their product and FF program would remain of any interest to non hub-hostage customers given the competive challenges from AA, DL, UA, NW - and I heard US will be turning FLL into an International mini-hub. This is the right time to be attracting new business, not alienating existing customers, even if the bottom line gets squeezed abit. I thought Larry had better vision that this. I am disappointed.

I am editing to add: if DL pushes out Simplifares systemwide and eliminates their MQMs, then CO is really going to look like a complete a$$ if they keep EQMs in any form. Let's wait and see what DL looks like after 8/26. I doubt they leaked any of their plans to CO (CO is still a competitor, at least as far as the DOJ thinks), so the decisions being made within CO might have to change quickly if their partners go in a dramatically different direction.

I will make elite status this year and next year take advantage of my status on NW tickets. Since my flying will just about drop off for a bit, no big deal with me. When I get back on the road its NW or whoever is still around. Way to go CO!!!!!!!!!! I hope this brings them to their knees!!!

I'm more concerned about D/Z fares with 150% EQM. I've got a EWR-HNL booked for Feb 2005 in D, CO's website shows 150% EQM....but will that change come 1/1/05????

Just a thought...
 

I was just wondering... Instead of taking away the full EQM from all passeneger who book deep discounted coach fares online, why not offer only to elites full EQM no matter what the fare class booking is and regardless the booking channel? ... kind of an incentive to keep elites with OnePass...


just my two cents...

-Vincent

No - my friend did not mention any other pearls of wisdom - and I did not really ask.

Many of you already know this - but I did not.

OP is run by marketing and NOT the OPSC. As the name implies, it is JUST a service center. ALL rules (as stupid and convoluted as they are) are made by Marketing - and then the poor souls have to solve them in the OPSC!

For example - the THOUSANDS of flight segments that did not post correctly for the first part of the year had to be MANUALLY inputed via an Excel spreadsheet by the folks in the OPCS to correct them. Can you imagine how unhappy this made those folks?

I wouldn't expect any announcement as such. Reality is the EQM bit is written in stone in the current elite guide-- thus, elite rules will remain unchanged from 2004 to 2005. It's just the co.com promotion that will expire-- just as every other 500 bonus or double mile promo quietly expires on the posted date.


I'm sad to see this happen, but to be frank, the writing was on the wall. This year, as a Plat, I have 2000 Elite miles-- a DCA-EWR-IAH where the agent was going to revoke the EWR-IAH 777 upgrade if I switched numbers. :mad: Luckily for me :rolleyes: we were delayed an extra hour on the aircraft in EWR. Most comfortable delay I've had. ;)

I think it's a great suggestion, and while discussing the EQM mess with a OPSC rep last month (even she was venting!), I suggested they consider grandfathering those of us who were elites before they announced the program change, and she really liked the idea. Not sure if the ones making the rules would ever consider this anyway.

Of note, I thought this article in USA Today was interesting and relevant:

Lowest fares cost business fliers elite status

Again, not sure if the ones making the rules even read the newspaper, let alone take this into consideration. :rolleyes:

and think about how much money it cost them for all of that unnecessary labor! Add that to the cost of reprinting and resending the members guide when they screwed up the EQM chart--that must have cost thousands and thousands of dollars. who's running this thing?

Edited to add:
I don't understand why it matters what is written in the EQM guide...for those of us who flew CO from January-September 2003 to become an elite member or to renew our elite status, no one had bothered to tell us that starting in January '04 we'd only get 50% EQM for discount tickets. I think it's unwise to write any such rules in stone. Promotions may expire, but not always quietly---let us not forget that when the new EQM rules were first announced, the 100% EQM for online discount fares promotion was slated to expire June 30, 2004. Couple days later (probably after several angry phone calls and emails), the promotion was extended to 12/31.

Exactly !!!

Let's see more posts about status matches, even for us lowly Silvers. I'm more interested in AA and NWA, or anyone else who may actually fly out of InterContinental airport other than CO.

EmailKid

An interesting observation from that USA Today article...

It's only a matter of time before the major airlines respond to a loss of elite fliers, predicts Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition.

They could lower mileage requirements so that more people can keep their status or consider letting members pay a fee to maintain it. They could also completely revamp the existing programs, he says.

"Before the majors figure out what to do, it means that some travelers are going to have less opportunity to upgrade," Mitchell says.

Michael Boult of travel consultants Eclipse Advisors says he doubts employers are going to give their travelers much sympathy, because companies pay for the tickets.

"The rush toward the lowest fares may have casualties," he says.

Given there is a real risk to traveling employees losing their status because of online booking tools or being pushed to discount carriers (the article is the first public discussion of it I have seen outside FT), I find it even more incredulous that CO would continue on a path to exclude existing loyal customers. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am at their thinking. :mad:

I do not believe that AA or NW will comp equivalent CO tier status. AA, however, will offer a Gold or Platinum Challenge for a short track route to elite status.

FewMiles Unofficial Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage would be an excellent starting place to read about AA's challenges.

In February AA comped Gold for my CO Platinum status, and then I made Platinum with a Platinum challenge. I've found AA to be a terrible airline though, so have flown less than 10,000 miles on AA, having returned almost entirely to CO.

Which self-respecting FFer would fly direct EWR-LHR anyway? :D

Seriously, I have been flying via IAD and often even via ORD (the fare isn't higher most of the time) or via RDU and ORD on AA. Consider that as a top tier on UA/AA, you will be flying BC at least 6/8 flights, can upgrade with miles easily and connecting through those airports give you more time to catch a good sleep on your BC seat.

Of course, if you were in 31" CO coach, you would want the shortest route!

There is very little benefit to flying CO internationally as an elite.

I would be careful about jumping to NWA until you know for sure they won't join the EQM bandwagon themselves. They just stopped awarded full credit for discounted DL tickets and I know there are some sweaty palms over at the NW board.

My suggestion is ignore the CO news for now, and let's see what kind of pressure DL puts on everyone with their big announcement this week. It is bound to stir up the pot and require a competitive response from other carriers...including CO, unless they are busy drinking their fancy kool-aid.

NW dropping the EQM on DL was to come in line with DL's policy. I guess they got tired of giving NW elites more for flying on DL than DL elites flying on DL were getting.

It is true that NWA MIGHT switch to 50% EQM at some point on some fares. We do not know that. NW also matched CO with 50% EQM on CO operated flights. I don't see NWA in a rush to give 50% EQM to their own elites on their own planes. NWA does seem to be the more customer friendly of the three.

I agree, and I really appreciate NW taking the stand against EQM on their own fares...but I would not want to jump ship just before the season during which programs updates are announced, only to get whipsawed by EQMs being rolled out at NW. I just think it's better to wait for the dust to settle after everyones' announcements and then have another look at the field to see where to go. It could be the only stand-up program left is AA...but I am so curious to see what DL has up its sleeves...program "simplifications" are the current buzz...let's see if MQMs go away over there, or 100% MQM fares become easily affordable.

Ugly rumors...
 

Ugly rumors (From the Mars Hotel?)

I am in occasional contact the manager of Onepass. I have been told that the rumor posted at the top of this thread is untrue. Further, I am told that CO is seriously looking at extending the 100% EQM on Continental.com offer and that an announcement will be made in the next few weeks..

Well I appreciate your response and as moderator of this forum - I respect and believe your post.

However, I stand by what I posted above and what I was told. The person who told me said that the decision had been made.

Let's see what happens.

100% EQM for t class Fare 3/5/2005
 

Booked my flight on co.com for 3/5/2005 in t class and it says I will earn 100% eqm. Gosh I hope they will honor that ???

Print out a hard copy ASAP as it will give you leverage if you have to fight them.

Just curious ---- when you pull it up now - does it say 100% EQM?

A friend said that he had bought a ticket for January - and it said 100% - now it is showing 50%.

On IAH/NRT two weeks ago, I was seated next to a lovely young woman from CO Marketing. While careful not give too much information, she did say that the current line of thought was to continue offering full EQM's for CO.com booked flights in 2005.
ALSO -- she told me that the SkyTeam announcement is days away. They had targeted September 1, but were awaiting finalization of some printed materials and web design. "Look for it sometime during September" - her words.

There's consistently a lot of talk about how many elites CO will lose with their EQM policy, but presumably there are a number of others (apparently none in FT) that are MORE likely to achieve status based on the change.

I haven't done much domestic flying since I moved from the US several years ago, but from personal experience, I'm at least as likely to find nothing better than an H fare b/w GIG and the US than I am to find a fare that only gives 50%. In fact, in a couple dozen round trips, nearly all have been H or K. Based on 150% EQMs for H, it's possible to achieve Gold w/ as few as 3 round trips. The difference between H and K on these trips is typically about $200.

The reasons CO will lose my business are others:

- No more Brazil-US round trips for 35k miles (this was a GREAT deal, since these tix are hardly ever less than $1000).

- Having to pay $200 or more for the privilege of coughing up 25k (was 20k) miles for an upgrade to BF.

The result is probably that CO will have fewer elites among their hub captives, and more among international pax who have more choice of carrier and can rarely manage non HoKeY fares. This isn't unlike AF giving F+ rouge for 40k miles to non-French pax, but requiring 60k for its local market.

What is the change that would make MORE likely to achieve status? It is already a 50/100/150% system today. Is there an enhancement to the give away program?

Unless my memory is mistaken, the 150% EQM, which used to be a "class of service bonus" before EQM, was always awarded for paid Y/F/A/D. You got your base miles plus an extra 50%. They only recently added one class just below Y that gets the extra 50%. So, EQM offers no new methods for high-fare customers to earn their status faster, as they will earn the same status on their full fare tickets just as fast now as before....the only change is the penalty against the lower fare customers.

When CO twisted/spun the program change as some "enhancement" for higher fare customers to earn their status faster, they were referring to the very few people who might consider paying even more for their tickets to buy the 50% bonus...disquised as a threat to those of us in the half a dozen fare classes that only earn 50% - translation: pay up and enjoy, or go away because we will make this program as miserable as possible for you cheapie people.

I'd guess that the OPSC folks don't find out anything until the OP management/marketing folks decide what the rules will be. Time, however, will tell and I'm waiting with bated breath just like everyone else.

I'm sure my employer isn't the only one more likely to balk at a $4400 Y than a $1200 H. (Rough prices GIG-IAH 1-stop on CO.)

Of course, FFPs could just award benes based on $$ spent rather than miles flown and be done w/ the hypocrisy. It's hard to convince a casual observer that a $500 transatlantic flight should earn 5-10x the miles as a $300 domestic flight. Guess that's part of the charm. ;)

i was platinum/gold for many years on continental but AA mAAtched my stAAtus with platinum (they didn't make me chAAlenge).

i stAArted the year flying AA quite a bit but, like you, have slowly been flying more and more CO.

i just love the free upgrades and i normally get them (even as a gold). i flew EWR-SEA-EWR last week and got one battleship upgrade and one advance upgrade. the same flights on AA would have cost me quite a few "stickers." i also just like CO better.